Male Pattern Fitness: An SB Nation Community

Navigation: Jump to content areas:


Pro Quality. Fan Perspective.
Around SBN: Has Kentucky Improved Since the Non-Conference Season?

Unpacking "Awareness"

I'm down in San Diego for the second week of Feldenkrais training and, as usual, have a couple of new fitness thoughts.

Yesterday we were being put through our (extremely gentle) paces and about halfway through the day I felt like the volume had been turned way up on the sensory information getting through from my body to my brain (Feldenkrais work has that effect).  My feet felt were feeling the floor better, my core muscles were responding more subtly to weight shifts and to movement in general.  Movement as a whole felt easier and more natural. 

The term "awareness" sets off alarm bells in plenty of hardcore fitness folks--perhaps with good reason.  It's very subjective and intangible, so, like, what does it mean to be aware?  It always sounds like quasi-spiritualism:  what are w aware of, exactly?  The spirits in the rocks and the trees?  The gnomes that live in the clouds?  Isn't time better spent getting stronger, faster, more agile and flexible?  You know, pursuing measurable goals?

What I'm finding is that becoming more 'aware' translates very quickly--like, immediately--into measurable progress.  The results aren't always predictable, because everybody responds differently to this kind of work, but performance of virtually all kinds seems to take a noticeable leap forward, largely, it seems, because movement becomes more organized and streamlined. 

This morning I was performing repeats of uphill sprints and I was unusually sensitive to deviations in my form; rather than doing more and working harder as I ran, I started doing less, working smarter, and became measurably faster as a result.  Any self-help schmo will tell you that the first step to changing a habit is identifying the problem, and this seems to work on a physical level as well:  if you know you tend to land hard on your heels as you sprint, you can start to take steps to change it.  If you don't know that's your habit, there's no way to change it.  My final sprint was my fastest, as my body figured out how to perform the run more and more efficiently. 

Sprinting3_medium

(A guy who's way faster, stronger, buffer than me.)

0 recs  |  Comment 0 comments |

Story-email Email Printer Print

Comments

Display:

Comments For This Post Are Closed


User Tools

Welcome to the SB Nation blog about exercise, nutrition, health, and weight control
Start posting on Male Pattern Fitness »

Join SB Nation and dive into communities focused on all your favorite teams.

FanPosts

Community blog posts and discussion.

Recent FanPosts

Mikeandthebotsly7_small
Avoid leg injuries. Run barefoot (or at least learn how).
Msleeve_small
Bettter Fat Loss Comes With Knowing Your Body Type
Images__1__small
Injuries in professional sports - are some unnecessary?
Kearse_jevon0108_1__small
Routine that has worked very well for Me ( and will work for 99% of people)

+ New FanPost All FanPosts >


Managers

Westside_select_2_small Lou Schuler

Photo_125_small Andrew Heffernan